Dork dot

One can only handle being 'dork dot'-ed so many times in one week. It really takes a lot out of you! Pride mostly so maybe it's not such a terrible thing after all.. unless you have depressive or suicidal tendencies to begin with of course, if that's the case then forget it! Don't let anyone dork dot you!

For those of you unfamiliar with the term 'dork dot', it occurs the very first day a missionary enters the Missionary Training Center. They receive a bright orange dot that is placed on their name tag. EVERYONE in the world knows that you're a newb. Other places and organizations aren't as cruel but there's a good reason the MTC needs to use these colorful and degrading dots. Most places simply use name tags. At the MTC everyone already has a name tag so you've gotta make the newbs really stand out..

Anyways so it wasn't so bad the first day at Georgetown cuz I mean everyone was new, everyone had a name tag! Which really.. at the same time is like if everyone is already new why even have name tags? Everyone knows that everyone is new! Hmm.. But at church today I was new. I introduced myself.. along with the 30 other new people that day(no seriously, there was like 30 other new people!) and then attended an orientation meeting for the new kids. This is where we were photographed, documented, and 'dork dot'-ed. Yup. I got a name tag at church. I totally understand the concept tho, those who are new are clearly marked and everyone can easily see you're new and should talk to you and find out who you are, so I wasn't too against the idea.. until of course it got to the point that no one was trying to meet me anymore! What made it even worse is people started trying to ignore the fact I had the name tag! They'd see it and then try and pretend like they hadn't so they wouldn't have to talk to the new kid! I literally had one guy turn his back against me to block me out! not even kidding! haha geez!

Anyways so it was mildly rough. As if getting dork dot-ed is bad enough, to have the 'meet the new kid' process not work was even worse. But there's seriously like 200-250 people that attend and the ward has such incredible turn-over (people leaving and people coming) and TONS of interns (essentially our ward's 'bug boys', or salesmen) so I understand not wanting to even bother meeting the new kid that's gonna be here for just a few weeks.. I ended up talking a lot with one of the other new guys, Troy, who also served a mission to Japan. He served in Kobe. We actually met a Japanese missionary who is serving in one of the wards we were able to speak with him for a bit.. yikes! It has been sooo long!! I was soo rusty!!! :/

I'm not going to be able to do like any of the activities that they have goin on during the week because I have class so church is pretty much it. But I sang in the choir today and helped the bass section out. About all I can do to help in the ward but at least it's something.. 

After the obligatory 3hrs I promptly removed my dork dot. Gotta go find my pride now.. ttyl